Williams hits game-winner; Texas Tech beats Oklahoma State

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) Devaugntah Williams stumbled in his first attempt at saving Texas Tech on Saturday. Fortunately for the Red Raiders, he made the most of his second chance.

Williams scored the game-winning 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to give the Red Raiders a 63-62 victory against Oklahoma State. He slipped while driving to the basket on Texas Tech’s previous possession, leading to a turnover that allowed the Cowboys to take the lead on the ensuing possession.

It was his second game-winner this season for the Red Raiders (13-17, 3-14 Big 12). Williams also made a game-tying bucket in a win against Air Force.

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”These guys gave me one of the best days of my life,” Red Raiders senior Clark Lammert said. ”I love these guys. To go out with a win was just awesome. I’ll remember D-Will for the rest of my life.”

Jeffrey Carroll nearly proved to be the hero for Oklahoma State (17-11, 7-9).

Following Williams’ late turnover, Carroll gave the Cowboys a two-point lead, 62-60, on a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left in the game. However, he couldn’t convert a 3-point attempt from the left corner as time expired.

Carroll gave the Cowboys their first second-half lead, 48-47, on a 3-pointer with 8:05 left. The bucket was part of a 6-0 run over 1:39 that gave his team its first lead since the 5:57 mark of the first half.

The lead flipped four times before Williams made a jumper and converted a free throw to build a 58-56 lead with 1:39 remaining. The Red Raiders closed the game on a 7-4 run, all their points from Williams.

Texas Tech was in the game because of a strong close to the first half. They started 3 of 20 from the field in the period but made seven of its final eight shots. The offensive outburst led to an 11-0 over the final 1:18 and gave the Red Raiders a 31-17 lead at halftime.

”We were terrible in transition defense,” Cowboys coach Travis Ford said. ”We didn’t match up and they got some wide-open shots. They made us pay for every mistake we made.”

Toddrick Gotcher scored 17 points to lead the Red Raiders, who had four players with double digits.

Le’Bryan Nash scored a game-high 19 points for the Cowboys, and Michael Cobbins finished with a double-double, netting 10 points and 11 rebounds.

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TIP-INS

Oklahoma State: Guard Phil Forte had his first scoreless game of the season, finishing 0 for 4 from the field in 24 minutes. He also fouled out with 1:39 remaining. ”He just had a tough game today,” Ford said. ”You always need your best players to play well, but that’s not going to happen every game.”

Texas Tech: With Saturday’s win, the Red Raiders likely need to win the Big 12 tournament to avoid finishing the season below .500. Red Raiders coach Tubby Smith has finished with a losing record just once in his 24-season career: last season, when the Red Raiders finished 14-18.

STAR POWER

Former Texas Tech coaches Bobby Knight and Gerald Myers coached against each other in an alumni game following the Oklahoma State-Texas Tech game. Knight was the first person to win 900 Division I men’s basketball games and finished with 902, the final coming in the 2007-08 season with the Red Raiders. He also spent six seasons with Army and 29 seasons at Indiana, where he won three national championships. Myers coached Texas Tech from 1971 to 1991 and is its winningest coach.